Air circulating system



Filed May 29, 1942 Patented May 22, 1 945 AIR CIRCULATING SYSTEM Gustave E. 'Lnndberg, Riverside, Ill., asslgnor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 29, 1942, Serial No. 445,029 4 Claims. (Cl. 183-53) This invention relates to an air circulating system. More specifically the invention relates to such a system for use in supplying cooling air to an internal combustion engine. As representative of one particular use of the invention, ref erence will behad to the problems attendant upon the use of an internal combustion engine as the source of power for a threshing machine or similar machinef In the operation of such machine, the air is-constantly filled with chaff and other flying particles of material which eventually clog the redictor of the engine, in

which case the engine fan can no longer draw cooling air through the radiator. The result is of course that the engine becomes overheated and the machine must be stopped at intervals so that the radiator can be cleaned.

The principal object ofthe present invention is to provide an air circulating system of such a type as to eliminate the necessity of stopping the engine.

An important object of the invention is to provide means for directing air to be drawn through the radiator engine by the fan, this means consisting of a hood structure having a pair of air inlets, each of which is screened and each of which may be opened or closed independently of the other.

Another object is to provide this hood'structure as an inexpensive attachmentjadapted to be associated withany-form of internal combustion engine.

And, still another object is to adapt the principles of the invention to other air cooling orventilating systems.

A complete understanding of the foregoing and other desirable objects may be had from the following detailed description and accompanying sheet of drawing. wherein the single figure illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention as associated with a conventional type of internal combustion engine.

The numeral Io designates an internal combustion engine carried on a suitable frame II and having a conventional type of air circulating fan l2. The fan and the drive therefor may be of any suitable construction and the details thereof have been omitted. The forward end of the frame, or that portion of the frame ahead of the engine Ill, carries a water cooling radiator it through which the fan l2 draws cooling air in the usual manner.

According to the present invention, means are provided for directing air through the radiator to the fan. 'This means comprises preferably a hood structure generally indicated at It having a portion l5 enclosing the sides, top, and front of the radiator It. The hood is provided with a pair of transversely spaced, vertically disposed side walls It which extend forwardly from the radiator l3 and upwardly about the top of the radiator. The upper portion of each side wall It is curved, and these curved upper edges are joined together by a transverse curved wall ll. Although the upper edge of each side wall it is substantially semicircular, the arcuate wall ll encloses only about vone half of this distance, thereby leaving an air inlet opening IR. A screen is is carried by the hood and conforms generally to the curvature of the upper portions of the side wall l6, forming generally a continuation o the arcuate wall II.

A front wall. 20 cross-connects the forward portions of the side walls It and extends upwardly in spaced relation to the front of the radiator ll. This wall terminates at a point a little more than half way upwardly of the hood structure, and 'the edge thus provided is spaced away from the lowerforward edge of the curved upper wall. ll, providing thereby an opening 2|. A screen 22 is carried between the front .wall 20 and the lower portion of the wall ll. It will be noted that this either opening, the hood structure is provided with suitable valve or damper means, generally indicated at 2'3. This means comprises a shaft 24 extending transversely between the side walls 16 at the upper portion of the hood. This shaft carries a downwardly extending damper 25 which is swingable on the shaft from a position to close the opening l8 to a position to close the passage from opening 2|. Suitable operating mechanism is provided for positioning the damper, this means comprising a lever 26, an arm 21, a pull rope 28, and a tension spring 29. The tension spring is connected between a bracket to on the outside of one wall It and the arm 21 and serves to maintain the damper 25 in position to close the air inlet opening 18, as shown in full lines in the drawing. The pull rope 28 provides means for swinging the damper to the dotted line position shown in the drawing.

In the operation of a system including the invention, and particularly that form illustrated and described, the damper 26 is positioned so as entering the hood structure, with the result that the radiator II can never become clogged. However, the screen 22 may become clogged much as m the radiator would in the absence of the hood l4. When this condition obtains, overheating of the engine is likely. At such time the damper 25 is swung over to a position closing the air inlet II,

at the same time opening the air inlet ll. Air

is then drawn through the screen I 9 and overheating of the engine is eliminated. Eventually the screen I! will become clogged and it will be necessary to swing the damper 25 back to its original position, thus bringing intouse the air inlet l.

While the inlet II is being used as the opening through which air is drawn, there is no suction applied to the inlet 2|. Since the screen 22 is substantially horizontal and has its outer surface facing downwardly, the major portion of particles clinging to the screen will drop oil. Other particles will be shaken OK because of the inherent vibration caused by the engine. Therefore, when the damper 25 is swungback to open the inlet 2| that opening will be substantially free from clonin and air may be readily drawn therethrough. The disposition of" the screened inlet II is such that the outer surface of the screen I! is also directed downwardly. Hence, this screen will be kept clean in the same manner as the screen 22. During the operation of the system, it is necessary only to shift the damper valve 25 in accordance with clogging of the screens I! or 22.

It will be seen from the foregoing that a simple and inexpensive attachment has been provided as means for directing cooling air to the air circulating system of an internal combustion en- 8ine.- The'damper valve is selectively operable to permit the entrance of air through either of two openings, the other opening being then closed off to prevent the application of suction thereto. During the interval in which-suction is absent, the screen that is closed oil becomes freed of clogging particles. It will be obvious of course that the principles of the present invention may be suitably adapted to other systems for the circulation of air or fluid. l

It will be further appreciated that only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described and that numerous modiflcations and alterations may-be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with an internal combustion engine having a cooling fan: a hood structure associated with the engine and fan to provide means for directing air to the fan, said hood having a first air inlet including a substantially horizontal screen and a second air inlet including a downwardly sloping screen, and a damper movably carried in'the hood and movable from a first Position to close one air inlet while the second remains open to a position to close the second inlet while opening the first.

2. For use with an internal combustion engine having a cooling fan: a hood structure associated with the engine and fan to provide means for directing air to the fan, said hood having a first air inlet including a screen having a downwardly directed surface and a second air inlet including a screen having a downwardly directed surface, and a damper movably carried in the hood and movable from a first position to close one air inlet while the second remains open to a position to close the second inlet while opening the first.

3. For use with an internal combustion engine having a radiator and cooling fan: a hood structure adapted to enclose the radiator to provide means by which the fan draws cooling air through the radiator, said hood including a pair of spaced vertical side walls, a vertical front wall and an upper wall connecting the side wall and spaced from the front wall to provide an air inlet opening in the hood, said upper wall having a second air inlet opening, a pair of screens disposed re-' spectively in the openings, and a swingable damper carried between the side walls for swinging movement selectively from a position closing only one opening to a position closing only the other opening.

4. For use with an internal combustion engine having a cooling fan: a casing adapted to be associated with the engine to direct air to the fan, said casing having a pair of air inlets, a screen over each inlet, each screen forming an exterior portion of said casing and being arranged so as to facilitate gravitational discharge of foreign particles therefrom in the absence of air passing therethrough, and means settable for selectively opening either inlet pursuant to closing the other.

GUSTAVE E. LUNDBERG. 

